NYPD Leaders Emphasize Community Trust during Week-Long Visit to Albuquerque
For Immediate Release: Friday, Feb. 23, 2018
Contact: Gilbert Gallegos, 768-2053
NYPD Leaders Emphasize Community Trust during Week-Long Visit to Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE – Mayor Tim Keller and APD Chief Mike Geier met with leaders from the New York Police Department following a week-long visit to Albuquerque.
Mayor Keller noted that NYPD has achieved drastic rime reductions over the last 25 years while focusing on partnerships with the communities throughout the city.
“Even though our communities are very different, we do have a lot of things in common,” Mayor Keller said. “When we think about the difficult and complex challenges that it takes to repair trust, that is something that we share. New York has been through this.”
The NYPD is finalizing the implementation of its community policing strategy in the 77 precincts throughout the city. NYPD Assistant Chief Fausto B. Pichardo said the strategy has fostered partnerships and rebuilt the trust that the department lost with the community many years ago.
Pichardo said he is optimistic that APD is well on its way to implementing an effective community policing model.
“They want to help the community,” Pichardo said of APD’s new leadership. “They don’t want to police the community. They want to reduce crime, hand-in-hand with the community. Just from that aspect of what we’ve seen, they’re well, well ahead of the curve. That is probably the most critical factor in policing these days. They’re off to a great start.”
NYPD leaders also praised APD officers for their commitment to fighting crime, despite the lack of manpower due to the loss of hundreds of officers in recent years.
“Clearly the most valuable asset in this profession, in any police department in the country, is resources. It’s police officers,” Pichardo said. “You need the boots on the ground to respond to every 911 call. If you don’t have that, you’re not going to be able to wholeheartedly proceed and reduce crime and ensure that you garner that public trust and safety.”
Chief Geier said he will build much of the advice he received from the NYPD leaders into his efforts to transform APD.
“We talked about the long process of culture shift that needs to happen within any police department that wants to make a true commitment to community policing,” Chief Geier said. “I’ve gathered some great insight into this process from these veteran officers who have seen their own department transform.”
###